A girl from overseas
by GermanCSI
Summary: This is my fist fanfiction ever. Mac needs a change in his life and decides to house an exchange student from Germany for a year. Set in season 3.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**I do not own any of the characters apart from those who don't appear in the show.**

Chapter 1

It was eight o clock in the morning when Mac opened the door of his office. He was smiling after a long time. This morning he got a letter from the school where he had applied as a host father for exchange students. It had been very hard for him, because the school had preferred married couples or at least single women. However, his excellent report and the fact that he was the head of the crime scene investigation lab had made its effort.

Now he was holding an envelope from the school in his hand. He sat down and opened it.

"Good morning, Mac. What's up?" a female voice came from the door. He looked up from the letter and saw his co-worker Stella Bonasera.

"Hi Stella. It's a quiet day today. Lindsay is going to court later and Adam is looking through some evidence. So I have some time to read through these," he said holding up the letter he was reading. The school had sent him some possible profiles host students.

"So the school has accepted you as a homestay parent?" Mac nodded and smiled at her.

"I got a few students here. Maybe you help me to decide. They all look very nice." Stella went around the desk to see the profiles. She took another chair and sat down next to him. He handed over the profiles and she looked over them briefly.

"Well, we have a Japanese boy, two Canadian boys, but they're from Québec, so they speak French. We have a German girl," she said and gave Mac a confused look, "Are you allowed to take girls?"

"I am, because there are not enough host families and the school thinks I'm reliable enough."

"That's great," she said and slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly way, "Actually, I can't really imagine you having a kid living with you." Stella laughed and leaned back to see Mac's reaction. He just smiled back to her.

"To be honest, I can't really imagine that, too, but I'm working too much and I think a kid would be a nice change." Stella looked back down to the papers.

"What do you think about … Jacké Renieure from Canada?" She flicked through the boy's profile until the corners of her mouth dropped in disappointment.

"He speaks just a little bit English! Do you feel confident teaching English a lot?"

"Oh my god, I didn't think about that. It's going to be very exhausting for both of us. I would prefer someone who speaks at least enough English for proper conversation." He looked through the rest Stella had given to him.

"What do you think of her?" Mac asked handing over the profile to Stella.

"Let's see. Her name is Sandra Huber, she's from a small town called Starnberg. According to the test she sat her English is quite good. And … oh … she's just 16. If you take her make sure you're nice."

"Well, you think I'll take this girl, don't you?" Mac asked and smiled when he saw Stella's face.

"Taking which girl? Did I miss something?" a new voice came from the door.

"Good morning, Peyton," Stella said smiling at her co-worker. Mac got up to hug his girl-friend.

"Hi, Peyton," he said and kissed her cheek.

"Did the school accept you?" Peyton asked. Mac turned around and picked one of the profiles to show it to her. She took it and read through it.

"Well, a German girl. She looks pretty," she said still staring at the paper.

"Don't be jealous, Peyton. You'll still be my number one," Mac said and laid his hand on her shoulder. She looked up from the paper and started laughing.

"Oh, Mac. You're so sweet!" Mac turned back to his desk and saw Stella sitting there in her chair with a amused smile on her face.

"You two sometimes behave like teenagers!" Both, Mac and Peyton gave her a played angry gaze.

"Ok, I'll go back to work." Stella left the office still smiling. This gonna be … interesting, she thought. Mac was a complete workaholic and like her he often worked double shifts and didn't spend much time at home. She didn't even know if Mac had a second bedroom. Maybe Mac was right and he was working a way too much and taking care of a kid would be good for him.


	2. Chapter 2 The new girl

Chapter 2

Her excitement was rising when Sandra saw New York City from the plane. In Munich she had been almost crying when she had to say good-bye to her parents, but her sadness had been gone after the plane had been taken off. She was very curious about Mac. He had sent some pictures of him and his co-workers in the crime scene investigation lab and another one of him as a marine. She hoped that he wasn't that strict and military-like like her father had told her about marines. When she thought about that she was a bit scared what mixed with her excitement and made her feeling sick.

The plane made a right turn a she lost New York to her sight. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen. We're soon reaching JFK-airport. Please prepare for landing. Get your seat in an upright position, tilt your tables up and fasten your seatbelts."

An hour later she was standing in a line at immigration. It was only four o clock, but in Germany it was late night. The line went on and she came to a young officer who checked her immigration forms.

"Please lay the fingers of your left hand on the scanner, without the thumb," he said and pointed on a small scanner on his desk.

"Sure" She could hardly force back a yawn. The guy also scanned the rest of her fingers and took a picture of her. After that she was released. The hall where she was standing after passing immigration was huge and she felt a bit lost. After a few moments she found the place where she could get her luggage. Back home she had managed to keep the weight of her suitcase under 20 kg. Therefore, it wasn't too hard for her to carry it. The arrival hall was even bigger than the last one and she felt even more lost. There were a lot of people with balloons and welcome-ribbons, but no Mac. She walked a few steps through the hall, but she still didn't find him. After ten minutes she was pretty sure that he wasn't there. She sat down on a bench and sighed. That was a good start, but maybe he was just working on a big case and had no time to pick her up. Perhaps, she should just wait for him. She leaned back, put her legs on her suitcase and wrapped herself in her hoddie. Even though it was just almost September, it was very cold for the season. She felt very comforted in her sport pants and her hoddie and it took only a few minutes to get her sleepy and her eye lids went down.

She woke up when somebody was gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up to a middle-aged male face.

"Wake up," he said, "Are you Sandra?" She sat up and got her feet from the suitcase.

"And you're Mac, aren't you?" He nodded and sat down next to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Sandra. Have you been waiting a long time?"

"I don't know actually. I was so tired."

"I noticed that," he said and laughed a little. She gave him a slight and sleepy smile.

"By the way, have you already eaten?" he asked.

"Thanks a lot, but I had something on the plane. I'm not hungry." Mac stood up and reached out his hand.

"Do you wanna come?" Sandra stood up, too, and shook his hand. She grabbed her backpack and wanted to grad her suitcase, too.

"Wait, I'll take that." He lifted her suitcase and walked out of the airport.

"My car's over there," he said and pointed to a black SUV in the parking lot. It was exactly like she imagined American cars and she needed to smile.

"Alright," Mac said and lifted the suitcase in the trunk of his car, "Are you sure that you want nothing to eat?"

"I'm still not hungry," she said and got in the car. Mac got behind the steering wheel and started the engine.

"Thanks for getting my stuff in the car!" He looked at her.

"No worries." They were driving a long time silently until she had a question.

"Would mind if I take a shower tonight?"

"No, not at all. Do you always take a shower in the evening?" She nodded.

"My girlfriend hates to go to bed with wet hair, so we won't have a problem when she stays overnight." She gave him a confused gaze.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"I have, but she doesn't work in the lab," he said when she tried to get something out of her pocket.

"Ok, she's not the woman with the curly hair?"

"You mean Stella. She's very nice, you will like her. I can introduce you to her tomorrow. I think it's too late for you today."

"You're right," she said and yawned. Mac stopped in a traffic jam before a bridge.

"I didn't ask you what you want for breakfast."

"Normally I just take what I can find, but I don't eat much in the morning."

"So, I don't take you out for breakfast, tomorrow?" She vehemently shook her head.

"No, it's ok!," she said and looked at him, "Mac, I got a sheet with questions from my agency and I was asked to get through with you at the first evening."

"I'm off duty tonight, I have time for you. Hang on, what kind of questions are these? Do you have an example?" She laughed and got a piece of paper out of her bag.

"You don't have to fear them. It's something like 'What are the names of the family members and their birthdays'?"

"Ok, that's easy. My name is detective Mac Taylor and birthday is in April. My girlfriends name is Dr. Peyton Driscoll and her birthday is in July. What else do you have?"

"What's your address and phone number?"

"I think you know the address and I can give you my phone number later."

"Fair enough, are there any area's I shouldn't go in?"

"I don't like people entering my bedroom, but apart from that you can go everywhere. How many questions are left?" She turned over the page.

"There are quite a few left, so let's go on. The best time to take a shower is in the evening, isn't it?" Mac nodded.

"The next question is: Where can I keep my toothpaste and shampoo and all this stuff?"

"I have a shelf in the bathroom. Just look for some space for your stuff. That's not a big deal. Go on."

"When are meals taken?"

"It depends. I normally get something to eat for dinner in the next deli. I don't care when you eat, but I want you to have at least two proper meals a day."

"That won't be a problem at all. Do I have any duties in your home?"

"I would like you to tidy up your room every day so it doesn't get too messy. There is a cleaning lady coming every Friday."

"Every day?," she asked with a flabbergasted look, "Are you sure?"

"You don't like tidying up your room, do you?"

"I'm very chaotic. I prefer organized chaos."

"You will have to learn a lot about proper organization."

"I'll try. Another question, could you show me the washing machine and how to use it?"

"Of course I can. I'll show it to you as soon as I can."

"Where can I do my homework?"

"You can either do it in your room or if you want to come to the lab after school you can do it there."

"I brought a German flag. Can I hang it up in my room?"

"I can give you something to hang it up. Please don't use tape."

"When should I get up during the week and at the weekends?"

"It depends how much time you need in the mornings. I always go off to work at 7:30. You need to tell me the time your school bus comes, but don't worry. I will take you the first couple of days."

"Do you have any rules about switching off the lights at night?"

"No, I don't, but the neighbors don't like loud music. So be quiet when you stay up late."

"Are there any rules for using the internet?"

"I have unlimited broadband, but would appreciate if you don't spend the whole day with your computer."

"How often can I use my own cell phone and laptop during the week?"

"It depends on you. If you skip school I will confiscate it. Apart from that you can use it whenever you like, but please take it to school, just for safety."

"Wow, that's strict. How about using the TV?"

"If you tell me what you're watching you can use it. I don't watch TV very often."

"Do you have any rules about me meeting with friends?"

"You just have to tell me what you're doing."

"What is the latest time I should be at home when I go out with friends?"

"I want you to call somebody to get you after darkness. I don't want you to go home alone."

"Can I bring friends along from time to time? If yes, under which condition?"

"As I say, you always gotta ask me. You can bring friends home, but only female friends and only your age group."

"Do you go to church?"

"I go occasionally on Christmas and Easter and I like you to come with me."

"Sure, that won't be a problem. Is there anything you don't like?" Mac gave her a confused gaze.

"What do you mean? Do you have an example?"

"Yeah, for example chewing gum or watching the Simpsons."

"Ok, I got it. I really hate swearing and I'm really strict about that."

"Well, that's gonna be hard for me. Germans love swearing, but I try not to say any bad words."

"Germans love swearing?"

"Actually, Germans are quite liberal when it comes to that."

"We'll handle with that. How many questions are left? We're already in Manhattan."

"It's just one. Are there any family rules I should know and follow?"

"That's easy. No alcohol, no drugs, no sex, no swearing."

"You don't need to worry about that. I will be sent home when I drink or take drugs and I don't plan to take any."

"I hope you stick to that!"

Mac drove into an underground garage and parked the car in a parking space marked with the number 10D.

"Here we are," he said and got out of the car. She followed him carrying her bag. He got her suitcase out of the trunk and walked with it to the elevator on the other side of the garage.

After a short they were standing in Mac's apartment.

"You look very sleepy. I can show you the bathroom and your room." He opened the door to Sandra's room so she could get her bag out of the way.

"The bathroom's over there. Just take your time."

"Thanks have a good night, Mac."


	3. Chapter 3 The lab

**Sorry for not uploading this chapter earlier, but school's been pretty hard. Thanks to smuffly and tlh45 for reviewing.**

Chapter 3

Stella was pretty late for work. She had spent half of the night working on a very complicated case. They had found a body with very strange evidence. Just pieces of broken glass, no DNA, no finger prints yet. Mac had told her to take a few hours off and now she was late. When the elevator stopped she saw Mac standing there waiting for her and she cursed quietly. Surprisingly there was a girl standing next to him. She was pretty tall, about Mac's height, maybe an inch smaller. She looked like a girl in her late teenage years.

"Good morning, Stella. We were waiting for you."

"I'm sorry Mac. It was a very late night."

"You needed some sleep. It's ok," he said and lay his hand on the girls shoulder, "Stella, this is Sandra. She came here yesterday."

"Hi Sandra, nice to meet you," Stella and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Detective."

"Please don't call me Detective. You're not a suspect. Just Stella."

"Ok, Stella, nice to meet you." Stella smirked at her.

"I'll leave you two girls alone then. Stella, Lindsay's taking the case. Adam and Hawkes help her. You can do me a favor and look after Sandra for a while. I gotta go to Sinclair." Stella's face was a bit disappointed, but she still smiled.

"Well Sandra, do you like coffee?" she said and turned back to the elevator.

"I love coffee. That's a good idea."

The coffee shop wasn't very full, because it was a bit too warm for drinking coffee. The sun had made all the New Yorker's a big favor and had appeared. Stella opened the door and a small bell rang.

"Good morning. A table for two please." A young woman guided them to a table at the window. From there they could see the street and the people on there.

"Take a seat, Sandra. What do you want to drink?" The waitress came and asked the same question.

"I would like to have a black coffee, very strong please."

"Ok, and for you, ma'am?"

"Just a coffee with milk please," she said to the young woman, and then she turned to Sandra, "Do you normally drink your coffee very strong?" She smirked.

"No, I don't. I'm just very tired from yesterday. The coffee will help, I hope."

"You're still tired. Do you have jet lag? From Europe is must be quite a few hours." Sandra looked at her watch.

"In Germany it's afternoon. Almost four o clock, but I'm getting used to it. It's not that hard."

"That's good to hear." Their coffee came and Sandra immediately wrapped her hands around the cup.

"Have you been to New York before?" Stella asked. Sandra shook her head.

"It's my first time here, but there is an orientation camp tomorrow where we go sightseeing. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Awesome. Do you know where you're going?"

"I read the information booklet. We're going to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, MoMA, Museum of Natural History, Madam Tussauds, WTC and Empire State Building," she counted on her fingers, "in three days. That's gonna be exhausting."

"You're right, that's a lot for three days, but I think it's better to go sightseeing in Manhattan then in Europe."

"Depends where you go. Have you ever been to Europe?"

"I was born in Greece," she said and saw Sandra's face lightening up.

"I always wanted to go to Greece, but my parents wouldn't take me there."

"Greece is very nice. It's really worth to go there." Sandra silently sipped her coffee.

"Sandra, do you have any hobbies? I think Mac will make me looking after you quite a few times."

"I love ballet. I really love ballet. I already looked for classed and my school is actually offering them. I also like reading and movies. Do you know any movie theaters?"

"In Manhattan there are hundreds of cinemas. It's your choice. You love ballet? I used to do it, too, when I was your age."

"Have you ever tried to dance with pointe shoes?"

"I've never done that, I'm afraid. I heard it's very painful. Do you have pointe shoes?" Sandra laughed a little.

"I do have and you're right. Pointe shoes hurt a lot, but they're so beautiful."

"I've seen the older ones dancing with it. It does look beautiful..." Stella was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"I'm sorry. Hang on." She opened it and her face instantly changed. Not again, please not again. Not another body. "I'm sorry Sandra. Work want's me. I gotta bring you back, free time's over," she said with a fake smile, stood up and left a few dollar bills on the table. Sandra took out her wallet to leave a few bills, too, but Stella shook her head.

"I'll pay it. It's ok." Sandra smiled at her and thanked.

Just a few minutes later they had passed the security guard and Stella had sent her upstairs while she went back to her car. Up in the 35th floor Sandra saw Mac rushing around in his office. She gently knocked at his door. He looked up and when he saw her he waved her in.

"Hi Mac, Stella was called into work. She told me to come back." Mac grabbed his jacket.

"Oh yeah, I got a call, too. Do you have a book or something to entertain yourself? I might leave you alone for a couple of hours."

"I have some school work to do and I have a book. I won't get bored." Mac gave her a confused gaze.

"You have school work to do? I thought school starts next week."

"It does, but I want to keep on track with German school so I don't fall behind."

"That's weird. Come with me. I'll show you the break room. You can stay there for a while." She nodded and followed him.

She sat on the sofa and pulled her knees to her chest. She really wanted to go to sleep, but she knew she mustn't. Fortunately her book was very exciting. Harry Potter was always one of her favorites. The last book would be published in a few months in Germany, but here in America she's already seen it in a bookstore. She had been sitting there for almost half an hour when someone stopped right beside her.

"Hey kiddo, I haven't seen you around here?" he said.

"Of course you haven't. I arrived here last night. I'm Mac's homestay," she said and stood up.

"You must be Sandra; Stella had told me that Mac's having a homestay. I'm Danny, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Danny."

"You're from Germany, right?" She nodded.

"From which part of Germany are you?" he added.

"I'm from Bavaria. It's near Germany. Do you know Munich?"

"I think I heard it somewhere."

"Do you know the Oktoberfest?"

"Sure I do, isn't that the event where every year thousands of Italian's go to get drunk?" Sandra busted out laughing.

"The Oktoberfest is actually in Munich and, yes, there is thousands of Italian's coming every year. Maybe it's some kind of revenge for all the Germans who go to Italy for summer vacation. Are you from Italy?"

"My family comes from there," he said and his smile got a bit weaker, "But I was raised in New York."

"Non parlo Italiano, sons tedesca."

"Pardon me, I don't speak Italian."

"Me, too," she said leaving a confused expression on Danny's face, "This is the only sentence I know in Italian and in English it says that 'I don't speak Italian, but German'"

"Fair enough. By the way, did Mac tell you anything to do?" She shook her head.

"Apart from reading and somehow entertaining myself, no."

"I gotta piece together some kind of of glass thing. Do you wanna watch?" Her face was lightening up the second time that day.

"Sure I want to," she said without hesitation and followed him to a room with transparent walls.

"You can stand over there and for your own safety, touch nothing. Just pretend to be a ghost," he said smirking.

"Ok, I will be a ghost." While she was pretending to be a ghost, she watched Danny scanning all the pieces of broken glass in front of him and gluing them together. The whole time she was staring at him in astonishment and by the time he had finished puzzling her eyes had almost grown to the size of saucers.

"To me it looks like some kind of glass bucket," he said turning his head to get another perspective.

"No, Danny, it's not a bucket. It's a stein; in Germany we would call it a 'Maßkrug'. You drink beer of it."

"Beer?! That's almost a fourth of a gallon."

"A 'Maß' is actually one liter. I don't know how many gallons that equals."

"Who's drinking one liter of beer at once?"

"A lot of people do, even the person in front of you," she said waving at him and smiling. After a half shocked, half confused gaze of Danny she added: "The legal drinking age in Germany is 16, for beer. For hard liquor it's 18."

"Ok, I understand. How did you feel after such a bucket?"

"Don't call it a bucket and I felt something between tipsy and drunk." She just heard something like 'crazy German's' from him, but she was too restrained by his doing that she didn't really listen. He started covering almost the entire surface of the stein with some kind of black powder.

"I'm looking for fingerprints. Maybe Stella missed something when she said that there's nothing." After he was done, he started taking pictures of the stein in every perspective. It took him just a few minutes then...

"Boom," he exclaimed, "I was right. There's a fingerprint." Somehow the print appeared just seconds after it was found on the screen.

"Ok, this will take a while. I suggest you go back to the break room." Knowing that she wasn't supposed to stay any longer she went back. Her book wasn't that interesting as she hoped, but it kept her busy until the afternoon. Finally she stopped reading when her stomach started growling. She walked to the room where Danny was still working and she gently knocked on the door. He looked up from the computer and smiled at her.

"What's up, Sandra?"

"I'm starving and I've seen a hotdog stand just two blocks away. Could tell Mac that I'll be back in half an hour if he asks you?"

"I'm sure he won't be back in half an hour, but in the unlikely case he leaves a crime scene just after three hours I will tell him."

"Thank you very much. See you later then. Oh, I forgot, should I bring you something?"

"Thanks, I'm fine. Your 30 minutes are running. See you!"

Outside of the crime lab she felt like in one of these American reality shows. Busy people rushing past her and cars stuck in a traffic jam. The hotdog stand was further away than she thought, actually five blocks', not two, but she didn't care. She's nothing to eat since a slice of toast she'd found somewhere in Mac's kitchen and the coffee with Stella and therefore she was pretty happy when she saw the hotdog stand with only a few people waiting. She entered the line and a few minutes later she was holding an American hotdog in her hand. The taste was very different to what she used to eat, but she quite liked it. According to her watch she still had 15 minutes left and so she decided to walk back to the lab eating her hotdog.

**Do you have any expectations or wishes how I should go on? If yes, leave a review. I try to upload the next chapter earlier.**


	4. Chapter 4 A strange case

Chapter 4

Sandra was lying in her bed her eyes wide open. The alarm clock on her night time table said 5.17 am. Almost time to get up. Mac told her that he normally got up at half past five. She turned around and tried to get a few more minutes of sleep, but she wasn't tired at all anymore. She sighed and sat up to reach her iPod. Before she turned it on, she looked around in her room. It wasn't very big, but it was just right for her, especially her bed. It was bigger than she was used to and it filled almost half of the space in her room. There were a desk standing under the window and a closet at the other side of the room. The rest of the floor was occupied by her suitcase. Mac had allowed her to take a few days with packing out her stuff and she had done nothing. She spent the time until Mac got up with playing Angry Birds. Some when between 5.40 and 6 o clock she heard Mac taking a shower. 15 minutes later she thought it would be appropriate to enter the bathroom. It was still full of steam and she couldn't see herself in the mirror. Mac was waiting for her in the kitchen with a breakfast made of a bowl of cornflakes and orange juice for each.

"Good morning, Sandra. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did, but I woke up pretty early. Normally I get up later."

"You probably can, because the subway leaves just in time for you to reach school. It's just; I have to go to work earlier due to a case. When did you say you meet for the orientation camp?"

"We meet at nine o clock at a hotel Midtown. I have the address somewhere."

"I can take you there or Stella. What are you doing today?"

"Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. A day on islands. I will come back around four o clock. Should I come to the lab afterwards?" Mac nodded while he put the bowls and glasses in the dishwasher.

"Do you remember the address?"

"I do, it's Downtown."

"That's good. Before we go to the lab you should get dressed," he said and eyed up her sweat shirt and pajama pants. She tugged at her shirt and shrugged with her shoulders.

"Ok, it won't take long." She went back to her room to get changed. She chose a tight pair of jeans, a shirt and a blazer. Many people would say that a blazer was nothing for a young girl, but she didn't care about that.

"That looks nice," Mac said when she came back to the hallway, "Do you have everything you need?" She opened her bag to double check her belongings.

"Book, paper stuff, phone, iPod, hairbrush, wallet, got everything."

"Do you need an American sim card for your phone?"

"I already go one in Germany. Thanks, no problem."

"I heard that Germans a very good in organizing, but you told me that you're very chaotic." He looked at her very puzzled. Sandra started laughing.

"I'm sure chaotic, but my mom isn't. She bought me the sim card." He looked on his watch.

"Well, we should really go now." She put on her shoes and followed him to his car. Since it was very early and the streets weren't that crowded. They reached the lab within fifteen minutes. Mac went to the security counter and talked to the guard.

"Good morning, Miss. I need a visitor's badge for my homestay."

"Certainly," she said and gave him a plastic badge. Mac and Sandra got into the elevator and up to the lab. Before they even could get out of the elevator, Danny was rushing towards them.

"Mac, good to see you. We got a hit for the fingerprint and we have a name. Hi, Sandra, you feeling well?" She starred at him.

"Of course I do."

"Sandra, do you want to spend some time in the break room? I will tell Stella that she takes you Midtown. I gotta go."

"Alright. Then she you this afternoon," Sandra said and made her way to the break room. She knew that this was coming. Of course she couldn't join Danny and Mac hunting down suspects. In the break room she continued reading her book. After two hours she saw Stella's mass of curly hair in the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Sandra."

"Good morning, Stella."

"Do you wanna come? Mac told me you need a ride." Sandra looked at her very puzzled.

"Sandra, do you have a watch?" Sandra looked at her watch and her eyes widened.

"I didn't know that it's so late." She put her book in her bag and followed Stella to her car.

Mac's POV

"Sandra, do you want to spend some time in the break room? I will tell Stella that she takes you Midtown. I gotta go."

"Alright. Then see you this afternoon." Danny entered the elevator while he gave Mac his new information.

"I got a hit in the immigration data bank. His name is Josef Kirchner, he's here on a tourist visa and he gave the address of a private apartment on his immigration form. We're going to Brooklyn."

"Where is he from?"

"He's from Germany. His residence is in a town called Peißenberg." They both rushed to Mac's truck and Mac turned on the blue light. Half an hour later they were standing in front of the apartment door with their guns in their hand. Mac looked at Danny and then he knocked on the door.

"NYPD, open up," Mac shouted. They stood a few seconds on silence, and then they heard someone rushing through the apartment and opening a window. Danny kicked in the door and headed towards the man who tried to climb out. Danny jumped on the man, tackled him down and handcuffed him. Mac heard a sound and turned around with his gun point towards an open door. There was another man standing with his hands besides his head.

"Josef Kirchner?" Danny shouted in the man's ear. The man on the floor nodded.

"Who are you?" Mac asked the other man, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"No English," he said and pointed at himself and his roommate, "No English." Mac put his gun down and handcuffed the second man. Danny put his man on his feet and led him to Mac's truck.

"I'm calling an interpreter for German. Let's go Downtown," Mac said and dialed a number on his phone. The way to the central police station was very silent, apart from the small whisper from the backseat. In the interrogation there was a man in a black suit waiting for them.

"Mac Taylor? My name is Andreas Volker. I'm working for the German embassy." They shook each other's hands.

"Let's go to room three. Could you take Mr. Kirchner," Mac told an officer who was standing next to them. They waited a few minutes before they entered the interrogation room.

"Mr. Kirchner, where have you been Monday night?," Mac asked, then he turned to the interpreter to show him that he could translate.

"Wo waren Sie am Montag Abend?"

"Joa, I war gestern mim Kumpl in a Schenk'n wos dringa." The interpreter turned to Mac to translate the answer.

"He said that he'd gone out with his buddy to a bar."

"Do you know the bar's name?"

"Kennen Sie den Namen der Bar?"

"Schag I so aus ois dad I do le'm?"

"Ich verstehe Sie nicht. Können Sie das bitter wiederholen? I'm sorry, I don't understand him."

"Sau Breiß."

"I feel really sorry, but I don't understand a single word." Mac ruffled through his hair while he tried to find a solution.

"Just tell him that we will find someone who understands him. In the meantime he can stay in the cell."

"Sie bleiben in der Zelle, bis jemand gefunden wird, der Sie versteht."

"Dann versucht's mal." The interpreter just shrugged his shoulders. Mac turned to the officer standing at the door.

"Please bring him to a cell." the officer nodded and led the suspect out of the room. Mac turned back to the interpreter.

"Thanks for your help. Do you know someone who understands this man?"

"I don't really know. German is not my mother tongue, although I'm really good. I think this man comes from the south, but I'm not really sure. I'll make some phone calls in the embassy to find out, but I can't promise anything." Mac nodded pitifully and headed off to meet Danny. That was what you would call bad luck. They had a suspect of a murder, but they couldn't ask him anything. He saw him still interrogating the second man. Obviously he didn't have any problems with communication, too. Mac was waiting until Danny came out.

"Do you have anything useful?," Mac asked. Danny shook his head.

"He says that they went to a bar, but he doesn't which one."

"The interpreter couldn't understand Mr. Kirchner, so I don't have any information, apart from the fact that he told us that they went to a bar, too. Let's see if we can find something in the evidence that we missed."

Back in the lab, Mac and Danny changed into lab coats and started working. Danny double checked the stein for DNA and Mac studied the pictures taken at the crime scene.

"Could you imagine drinking one liter of beer at once from this bucket?," Danny asked when he prepared his sample for analyzing.

"I wouldn't drink that myself, but I know at the Oktoberfest they do. I think I know no-one who would drink an entire liter of beer."

"You know someone. Sandra told me that she drank on of these buckets."

"Sandra? Isn't she a bit too young for drinking alkohol?"

"She told me that the legal drinking age in Germany is 16."

"16? That's very young. Do you have something, Danny?," Mac asked when the computer started beeping. Danny's face dropped in disappointment.

"No DNA, only traces of beer. We really need someone who can speak to Mr. Kirchner." Mac was about to say something when Stella poked her head through the door.

"Hey Mac, how is it going?" Danny shrugged his shoulders.

"Actually, it isn't going that well. We're in a dead end. Do you have something?"

"Indeed, the victim is also German. Sid found a small piece of leather at the vic's neck. It's used for lederhosen and it's from a European deer," she said showing her co-workers a picture on her labtop.

"Did you find any skin cells?," Mac asked.

"No, nothing else than the vic's DNA," she said, "It's kind of weird, isn't it? Both victims are German, both murdered in New York, with Bavarian murder weapons."

"Maybe we should look into the German files of the vics and our suspect," Mac said.

"I would suggest, Adam's trying to find out something about them. Mac, I really love it that you're finally eating something for breakfast, but you still have to eat something for lunch. Let's go," Stella said, almost pushing him out of the room. Although they were working on a serious case, luch was very enjoyable. They had a hotdog for each at a hotdog stand on the street. Stella didn't stop talking about the case. She had done some research about the Bavarian culture.

"In Bavaria only the men wear lederhosen, the women wear some kind of dress, called Drindl. And they only wear it for special occasions, for example at the Oktoberfest or religious occasions. Therefore our killer used either his own lederhosen or the piece is from the vic's ones. I also know that you normally have only one pair you're wearing."

"That leads to some new ways," Mac said and finished his hotdog.

**I'm out of ideas. Please help me. I'm open for everything, but I won't change the rating.**


	5. Chapter 5 A great help

**First of all, thanks to smuffly for the great idea. I'm feeling really sorry for the spelling mistakes. I try to avoid them, but it's not that easy. So please forgive me. =)**

Chapter 5

"See you tomorrow, Melli," Sandra said and got out of the bus. She had asked the driver to stop at the crime lab and he had found a place to stop for a few seconds.

"See you!," Melli said, but Sandra was already on the sidewalk. At the counter she saw the same woman who was there in the morning.

"Hello, I think I need a badge for the crime lab."

"You're Sandra, right?" Sandra nodded. "Det. Taylor told me you need one. Here you go," she said and handed her a plastic badge.

"Thanks a lot," Sandra said and entered the elevator. In the 35th floor she headed straight to Mac's office, but he wasn't there. She looked around and saw Stella rushing towards her office.

"Stella, hey Stella."

"Hey Sandra, how was your day?," she asked.

"It was awesome, but have you seen Mac?"

"He's in the room over there analyzing evidence."

"That's good. See you, Stella." Sandra went to the glass room where she saw Mac working and knocked on the door to show her presence. He looked up, smiled and waved her in.

"Hey Sandra, how was your day?"

"It was awesome. Mac, I've forgotten to give you something," she said and got something out of her bag. "I didn't know what to give you, so I got you this. It's a German police man. Actually it's a Bavarian police officer. Some states want to introduce blue uniform." Mac unwrapped his gift and smiled.

"That looks nice," he said holding a small toy police man in his hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks. Sandra, when you're from Bavaria, do you also speak Bavarian?" She gave him a confused gaze.

"I can't speak Bavarian very well, but I can understand it. Why do you ask?"

"Do you wanna help to solve a case? We have a suspect from Germany, but our interpreter couldn't understand him."

"Sure I want to. That's awesome." Mac put his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Danny, we got someone to translate. We meet in 10 minutes for interrogation." He hung up his lab coat and put on his jacket instead. On their way to the elevator Mac dropped the police man figure in his office.

"I'll explain everything to you on the way." She smiled and followed him out of the lab.

The streets were so crowded that Mac had to concentrate on the traffic. Therefore he couldn't talk to her and explain the procedure.

"Mac, what do you mean with having someone to translate?," Danny asked when Mac and Sandra entered the NYPD building a few minutes later.

"Indeed I have," Mac said and put his hand on Sandra's shoulder. Obviously Danny was impressed.

"Boom! We have an interpreter in front of our noses." Danny gave her a high five.

"Ok, let's get through this quickly," Mac said and she could hear from his tone that he didn't feel comfortable having her there, "I think Mr. Kirchner needs to be brought back to interrogation room 3. Sandra, I'll tell you how it works. You need to tell me or the suspect exactly what was said, nothing more and nothing less. If you feel uncomfortable you must tell me and I will make a break. Are you fine with that?"

"I'm fine, but I'm sure a break won't be necessary."

"I'm telling you just in case." He patted her shoulder and showed her the way to interrogation room. When she entered it, she saw a unshaved man, about 50 years old and obviously not very rich. He was wearing a worn out jacket over a checked shirt.

"Wos soin des? A Madl?" She looked at Mac a bit puzzled.

"Shall I translate this? It's not very important." He nodded.

"Yes, please. Translate everything he said."

"He's very amazed that I'm here."

You're right. It's not very important. Please ask him, if he knows the name of the bar where he and his buddy went?"

"Kennen Sie den Namen der Bar, wo Sie mit Ihrem Kumpel waren?"

„Schag I so aus ois dat I da lem?"

"He doesn't know the name of the bar. He doesn't live here."

"I don't believe him. He needs to tell me the name of the bar. Otherwise his alibi would be worthless."

"Er glaubt Ihnen nicht. Sie müssen den Namen der Bar nennen, sonst ist Ihr Alibi wertlos."

„I hob dir schon g'sogt, dass I ned woas wo mir war'n."

"He already told you that he doesn't know where they went."

"Alright, let's get this straight. This girl is your only way to communicate with me. You have one chance to tell me the truth."

"Er will Ihnen klar machen, dass Sie nur eine Chance haben die Wahrheit zu erzählen. Ich bin die Einzige, die Sie versteht."

"I hob d'Wahrheit scho vazoit. Wenn a mir ned glabt is des ned mei Problem."

"He already told the truth. If you don't believe him, it's not his problem."

"Very well. I think we're done here. Thank you very much, Sandra." She smiled and her cheeks blushed a bit. In the corridor Danny was waiting for them.

"How was it?" he asked. Mac shook his head.

"Nothing. He didn't tell the truth. That's all I know so far. His alibi is very weak. The evidence might be enough for a conviction." She looked very interested from Mac to Danny. For her it was a great flash, coming from a quiet little town and ending right in the middle of a murder investigation in New York City.

"Sandra, I take you back to the lab. I need to do some phone calls," Mac said and headed towards the exit.

**I'm still open for ideas. Please leave a review on however you feel it should go on.**


	6. Chapter 6 First day of school

**After a long time it's finally going on with the story.**

Chapter 6

A few days had passed since Sandra had helped Mac and Danny to solve a case. In the meantime she had met Mac's girlfriend Peyton. She was a very nice woman and she was working forensics. Although she was very interested Sandra wouldn't dare to visit forensics. Mac had forbidden her to go anywhere without permission and he cleared out that forensics was a restricted area for everyone without a lab ID. And from what she had told her about the work in forensics Sandra wasn't very keen on watching bodies being cut apart. Anyway, the time she had spent with Peyton was awesome. They had dinner together with Mac. It was quite a change for him to have her living with him. It was obvious to see in his behavior that he was living a long time alone. A week after her arrival she had skyped with her parents. Her dad had complained about the constant September rain and her mom had been just glad that she could see her. After all, her first couple of days in New York City had been great.

Now it was Monday. It was the first day of school. Through the window she could see the sun and the deep blue sky. Not a single cloud was on it. A knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"Sandra, are you awake?"

"Yeah, sure, just give me a few minutes", she said and swung her legs out of the bed. She picked up a few items from the floor, got dressed and checked the dress code of her school. A knee length summer dress with a flower pattern was alright. She packed her pencil case and a refill pad in her school bag and joined Mac in the kitchen.

"Good morning. Do you take the bus today, or do you want me to take you to school?"

"I'll take the bus. I've already checked the bus timetable. It comes in 20 minutes. I might meet some other students from the school."

"Well, if you don't mind, I want you to come to the lab after school."

"No problem. I'll call you, if I have other spontaneous plans."

"You do know, that you're not allowed to use phones in school, don't you?" She laughed and took a sip of her coffee.

"Of course I know, but I have a lot of experience in hiding phones in school." She finished her coffee and put the mug in the dishwasher.

"When does your bus come?" he asked and put his cup in the dishwasher, too. She looked at her watch.

"Fifteen minutes to go."

"You should get ready and go down before you miss the bus." She nodded and got her bag from her room. In the hallway she put on her sneakers and came back to the kitchen to say good bye to Mac.

When she left the building and headed for the bus stop, she saw two other teens waiting for the bus.

"Hi", she greeted the boys. They both turned towards her and smiled at her.

"Are you going to high school?" They both nodded.

"You're new, aren't you? I haven't seen you before."

"Yeah, I came here last week from Germany."

"From Germany? My mother's family is from Germany", the other boy said.

"By the way, I'm Sandra."

"I'm Thomas and this is Brian", the second boy said.

"Nice to meet you two. Are you in year 11?" They both nodded again.

"Hey, with whom are you staying? I know almost everyone around here", Brian said and looked up to the apartment building that she had left.

"I'm staying with Mac Taylor. Do you know him?"

"Detective Taylor? Be careful with what you're telling him about stuff happening in school." She chuckled.

"Is it really that dangerous to tell a cop what happens in school?"

"Well, it's up to you, but you'll know when it's better to tell nothing." The yellow school bus came and all three got in. On the way to school the boys told her about the life in New York and about some dos and don'ts in school and she answered their questions about Germany. The bus stopped in front of the school and everybody tried to get out of the bus at once.

"I was told to go to the principal's office. Could one of you show me the way, please?"

"I can show you the way", Brian said, "I've been there very often."

"What have you done?" He just smiled mischievously and left the bus.

"Do I want to know what you've done?" she tried again and followed him. He waited a little while, and then he just shook his head.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know it, but I still can show you the way." Thomas said good bye and headed straight to a building on the right hand side. Sandra and he went to the entrance door of it. The hall behind the door was huge and very crowded with students. The two of them had to squeeze themselves through the crowd to the corridor leading from the hall. On each door there were little signs with names on them. He stopped at a door with the name 'Kathrin Norwich' on it and knocked.

"I'll leave you here. Ms. Norwich wouldn't be amused to see me. See you in interval. Thomas and I are normally standing outside. I'm sure you'll find us." With these words he turned around and she lost him in the crowd. From the other side of the door she heard a female voice calling her in. Sandra entered and she was standing in her principal's office.

"Hello, I'm Sandra. I was told to come here." Ms. Norwich smiled and got up from her chair.

"Hello, Sandra, I'm Ms. Norwich, your headmistress. It's nice to meet you", she said and they shook each other's hands.

"I will help you with your timetable and your locker. Do you already know what subjects you want to take?"

"Yeah, I'd really like to take ballet. This would be awesome."

"I can arrange it for you. The PE-teacher will be very pleased. Well, here is our variety of different subjects. You gotta choose one in each section", she said and gave Sandra a piece of paper.

"Take a seat. Here is a pencil." She sat on a chair and looked on the paper. There were subjects she'd never heard about, but of course also the kind of stuff she was used from her own school. After a short time, she'd decided on Math, Ballet, English, Physics, World History and Movie Making.

"Great, you'll get your time table tomorrow before school. It's almost half past nine. I can show you the way to the auditorium for the assembly."

The bell rang and all the students instantly left the classroom. Sandra squeezed herself through the crowd in the corridor until she reached the entrance hall and the school yard. In a corner near the lunch tables she saw the two boys she'd met at the bus stop.

"Hey, the German froylein. How was the first period?" Brian asked and waved her.

"Please don't try to speak German and please don't call me a Fräulein. I hate it."

"I was just joking. Thomas taught me this."

"Yeah, yeah, blame Thomas", she said and started giggling, "By the way, what subjects did you take?"

"Math, World History, Physics, Music, PE and IT. Oh I hate Math. It's so hard and I won't need the stuff anymore."

"Come on. Math isn't that hard. It is just about the understanding of the stuff. I could help you."

"Have fun, Sandra. I tried it, too, but he won't listen to anyone. I have the same subjects as him and he really sucks at Math."

"Thanks for your confidence, guys", Brian joked and punched Thomas softly in his belly." She smiled a played pitiful smile. Before the two boys could start really punching each other, the bell rang and all the students went back into the building. Sandra let Brian explain her the way to the next class.

"You must be Sandra", the teacher said and gave her a hand. She nodded and smiled at the middle aged woman.

"Just take a seat over there." Sandra sat next to a girl, maybe on year older than her. The teacher started speaking and the attention of most of the girls turned to the teacher.

**And again, I'm still open for ideas. Please help me. =)**


	7. Chapter 7 First day of school 2

**This chapter is pretty short, but at least it's soon published. =)**

Chapter 7

After another three periods and a lunch break, Sandra was very exhausted and tired. Just a few meters away from the building Thomas and Brian poked both sides of her shoulders.

"What are you up to? We want to go to my place doing some stuff. Do you wanna come over?" Brian asked. She shook her head.

"Mac wants me to come to the lab and he has a very traditional attitude towards girls dating boys, but I will find a way to hang out with you guys." She took her phone, switched it on and dialed the number of Mac. He was quite surprised that she called him, but in the end he assured her to send someone to get her. In the meantime Sandra talked with the boys while they were waiting for their bus to come.

Half an hour later, Thomas and Brian had already left, a black SUV stopped on the street next to her. On the driver seat Sandra saw the big curls of Stella. She opened the door and got in.

"Hi Sandra, how was school?" Stella asked and got back on the road.

"It was exhausting, but not bad. I made it into dancing class."

"Congratulation, but I had no doubts you would."

"How is it going on at the lab?"

"Well, I mustn't tell you, but it's going pretty well." Stella stopped at a red light and turned to Sandra.

"If you want to, you can turn on the radio. I don't use it often, but I'm sure you like music." Sandra smiled gratefully and pushed a button at the dashboard. The rest of the way to the NYPD building was very relaxing. Stella parked the car in the underground parking lot and turned off the car.

"Mac is very excited, although he wouldn't admit it."

"Well, my dad's exactly the same." Stella smiled and hurried towards the entrance of the stair case.

"And don't worry about the visitor's badge. Mac got everything sorted out for you."

"Oh thanks very much." The elevator stopped and they got out. Mac was still in his office at the very end of the lab.

"I have to go to work, Sandra. Mac's awaiting you."

"Ok." She left the area in front of the elevators and went to Mac's office. When he saw her, he waved her in.

"How was school? You look very exhausted." She smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Indeed, I am very tired. Stella asked exactly the same. School was alright. I didn't fool myself." He pointed to the couch in front of his desk and sat on the other one across the small coffee table.

"Tell me, have you found any friends yet?" Sandra thought for a second what to tell him.

"I met two boys from our block at the bus stop." He looked at her as if he was interrogating her.

"What do you know about them? The names?" That's exactly what Brian had told her, she thought and her cheeks instantly blushed.

"I don't know very much about them, not even their last names, and please don't get involved in this."

"Well, my job is to get involved in things."

"I tell you, we're just friends. You really don't need to worry about this." He got his cup from his desk.

"Oh, I've forgotten to ask you. Do you want a coffee, too?" She nodded gladly.

"Yes, please." She got up, too, and followed him to the break room.

"Do you want it black?" She nodded.

"Do you want it strong?" She nodded again. He was a bit surprised about her answer, but he didn't question it and prepared the coffee machine.

"Stella had already wondered when we had coffee together, but we two have never had coffee together." Mac was thinking for a moment, but in the end he nodded slowly.

"You're right. We do never have had coffee together." The water in the coffee machine started boiling and the coffee started pouring into the mug.

"Really neither sugar nor milk?" he asked while he handed her the mug. She laughed and took sip from her mug.

"I always get asked if I really don't want anything."

"So, now tell me, what subjects have you taken?" She looked to the top corner of the room and started counting down on her fingers.

"Math, English, of course, Ballet, Physics, World History and Movie making. I think this will be pretty awesome."

"Do I need to worry about your friends?" She was a bit surprised about the sudden change of topic, but it didn't last for long.

"I've already told you. Don't worry about them!" Mac tried a few more times to get information out of her, but she didn't tell him anything. The rest of the time till evening she stayed in the break room, where she read over the stuff she'd gotten from her German friends from school. Unfortunately the co-workers of Mac were too busy to talk to her, so she had to work on her own.

She was just reading her German book when Mac came into the break room to get her.

"Do you want to go home? I'm done with my work." She looked up from her reading.

"Alright, I'm coming." She got all her stuff in her school bag and got up.

"What's this book you're reading? It doesn't look like Harry Potter."

"Oh, you mean this ugly yellow book?" He looked at her surprised about the adjectives she was using. "It's 'Kabale und Liebe' by Schiller. My teacher had told me that I need it for my exams. Therefore I'm reading it, but it's really hard." They got into the elevator and moved down to the underground level.

**I will repeat this until I have enough ideas for the whole story and right now that's not the case, so send me any ideas you have or you want to read. =)**


	8. Chapter 8 Forgotten homework

**Quickly updated. Here is chapter eight. It's divided into two parts to shorten it a bit.**

Chapter 8

It was the end of September. Sandra had been visiting the school for now four weeks and she really got settled in. Her secret about the identity of her friends still reminded unrevealed. Mac had started giving up the hope that he could reveal it.

She woke up, again from her alarm clock. Heavy rain was pattering against her window and she turned over. Ugly fall rain, near the sea. It was just disgusting. Somebody was knocking at her door from the outside and a female voice was talking to her.

"Sandra, are you awake?" It was every morning the same. Either Peyton or Mac would wake her for breakfast. This morning it was definitely Peyton. Mac had her staying overnight and she was going to work the late shift in the afternoon.

"Yes Peyton, I'm awake!" Sandra said and turned over to get up. When she came into the kitchen she saw her already sitting at the table and eating her toast while she was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning." Sandra tried to hide a yawn, but it wasn't easy.

"Good morning, Sandra", Peyton said and put down her newspaper, "You look very tired. Had a late night?" Sandra smiled a guilty smile and turned to the fridge.

"I was skyping with my friends. They're deciding on where to go for the school trip in a few hours and I had to persuade them that we have to go to Greece, but I think they'll sign me up for Rome."

"Rome? I'd do anything to go there. Why don't you want to go there?"

"I've been there about ten times and it's really getting boring. And I've never been to Greece." Peyton nodded slightly and continued reading her newspaper.

"You should get something to eat soon or you have to go to school hungry." Sandra finally opened the fridge and made herself muesli. She sat down across from Peyton with a glass of orange juice.

"So, did your friends tell you something interesting?" Sandra growled into her breakfast.

"They went to the Oktoberfest the day before yesterday and all of them got drunk. Really, I have no idea how they got home in their condition."

"You must have very old friends when they're old enough for drinking."

"I already told Danny and Mac. In Germany the legal drinking age is 16 and the alcohol in Germany isn't that expensive. Therefore, they got sloshed and I couldn't join them." Peyton folded her paper and finally put it aside.

"I'm glad that you didn't go. I think it is better when young people don't get too much involved with drinking." Sandra thought that it wasn't the right moment to tell her about her drinking experiences. Instead she reminded silent and ate her muesli. After a while Peyton got up and made her way to the bathroom.

"Peyton, I'm leaving in a minute. See you tonight."

"Ok, Sandra, just leave your bowl on the table. I have to clean up the kitchen anyway."

"Thanks, Peyton." She grabbed her school bag and left for the bus. At the bus stop there was only Brian waiting.

"Hey, Brian, where's Thomas?" When he noticed her voice he turned around.

"Hey, Sandra, Thomas is sick. He'd called me this morning."

"Oh well. By the way, have you done your homework in History?" Brian rolled his eyes and she looked at him with her best puppy eyes.

"It's a bit messy, but you can give it a go. Why do you never do your homework?" She just shrugged her shoulders and dug Brian's exercise book out of his bag.

"I never do my homework, because it was never necessary, but Mr. Howard told me that he will kill me if I don't have something to hand in." He showed her the page in his book with the homework.

"Oh, thanks Brian, you're saving my life."

The bus came and they got in. Fortunately they found a spot with two empty seats. They sat down and she instantly started copying the homework. She had Brian's exercise book leaned against the seat in front of her and her book lying on her knees. The bus started moving and she bounced against the window. Ten minutes later she had copied everything into her book. It was even harder to read Brian's writing, because the bus kept starting and stopping all the time.

"It's as messy as yours, but I'm done. Here you go", she said and handed him the book. He took it and put it in his bag. The rest of the way to school they reminded silent.

In school she paid less attention than normal, because she was waiting for information from her German friends about the school trips. However, her friends didn't text her and she had to listen to the teachers.

"Sandra! Are you paying attention or are you sleeping?" Mr. Howard said and banged his hand on her table.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Have you at least done your homework?" he asked and impatiently tapped his fingers on her table.

"I have done it. Here you go", she said and pulled her exercise book out of her bag. The rest of the class felt silent and all of them tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, through staring at their table tops.

"Hang on, I've read this before. Have you copied this from Brian?" She grinned guiltily and looked, like her classmates, on her table.

"Brian, please give me your homework." Brian handed him his book, too. Mr. Howard went back to his desk and looked through the two books. A few moments later he got up and his face turned angry.

"Sandra, you have detention. And I will call you host family." She looked at him in shock, but she thought it would be the best to stay silent. The rest of the lesson, she paid attention and tried to think of a way to survive Mac's lecture about the detention. After half an hour, which seemed like an eternity, Mr. Howard finally dismissed the class.

"Sandra, you stay here. I need to talk to you." She said good bye to Brian with an afflicted facial expression.

"Sir?" Mr. Howard put his hands on his hips, like her mother used to do it when she was angry with her, and looked at her sternly.

"Do you know how detention works?" She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"You come to my office in lunch time and I will find something for you to do. And in the future I will collect your homework every time." She finally realized the extend of her refusal to do her homework.

"Do you really want to call my host father?" she asked and her defiance slowly vanished from her face.

"Of course I do. That's part of the punishment. You're dismissed. Meet me later." She turned around and quickly left the class room. Brian was waiting outside when she left and he looked very worried.

"How was it?" She shrugged her shoulders and spread out her arms.

"He'll check on my homework every time and I'm sure he'll check on yours, too."

"Was that everything?" She shook her head.

"No, I also have to go to his office in lunch time and you know he'll call Mac."

"I know, I know. Should I call you tonight and check on you if you're still alive?" Both laughed and made their way to the school yard.

**Had fun reading it? Please let me know and again, I'm open for ideas. =)**


	9. Chapter 9 Trouble, trouble

**Well, here is the conclusion. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

Chapter 9

Finally school was over and Sandra and Brian were waiting outside at the bus stop. She was used to go to the lab after school, because Mac still didn't want her to stay alone in his apartment. Therefore she was spending more time in the lab than anywhere else, maybe apart from school. Her bus stopped in front of her and she got in. on the way to the lab her stomach began to tingle and hurt and she braced herself for her meeting with Mac.

The lady at the counter at the entrance asked for her name and let her pass. Fortunately a large group of scientists were going up, too, and she could hide in the group. In the 35th floor she couldn't see a trace of Mac in the first place, not even in his office. She put her bag on his couch and left it again. A corridor farther she saw him in the break room talking to Stella, Lindsay and Danny. She took a deep breath and walked into the room as quietly as she could, but of course he had already noticed her.

"Sandra!" Mac said and made her cringe. Obviously the others had no idea what was going on.

"Hi, Mac", she said a bit scared and tried to get rid of the fear she was showing in her face. He pulled out his cell phone out of the pocked of his blazer and pushed a few buttons.

"Please explain me this!" he said and showed her the text message from her teacher. The fear in her face turned to guilt and she looked to the ground.

"It's a message from my teacher that I've got detention, because I've forgotten my homework."

"Have you done your homework?" Again she shook her head.

"I haven't done it. I copied it from … a class mate." Mac grabbed her arm and dragged her a few steps away from Stella and the others.

"YOU HAVE LIED TO ME! YOU HAVE TOLD ME THAT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK!"

"I'm sorry Mac. I didn't mean to …" She was sure that he would have slapped her if she was his daughter.

"WHY?" he asked and put his phone back in his pocket. She was deciding her alternatives what to tell him, but she thought it would be the best to tell him the truth.

"To be honest, I didn't find it necessary and yesterday I've just forgotten to do it."

"BUT YOU FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO LIE TO ME?" She said nothing and looked to the ground.

"SANDRA! Please." Sandra shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno", she said so quietly that he could hardly hear her. He was thinking and turned around and back again.

"Well, give me you phone."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. You phone, please." From the corner of her eye she could see Stella watching her with great interest. Sandra got her phone from her pocket, switched it off and gave it to him. There was still no message from her friends about the school trips.

"For the next two weeks there is no phone, on internet, apart from skyping with you family, and no TV. I cannot tolerate you neglecting the school." She gave him a highly flabbergasted look and opened her mouth to talk back to him.

"No, don't say anything. You are now doing your homework and I will check what you will have done later." He turned around and waved Danny and Lindsay into his office. Sandra was so angry and embarrassed that she almost kicked her foot into the cupboard. Unfortunately her bag was still in Mac's office and she didn't want to join him again. Instead she waited until Mac was finished talking to his co-workers and left his office. Then she sneaked into his office and grabbed her bag.

"Hey Sandy, what's up?" Danny came into the break room where she was sitting over her history book.

"It's Sandra and Mac just added that he will ground me, if I ever get detention again." Danny exhaled and nodded slowly.

"That's tough. Do you need any help with that?" he asked and tapped his fingers on her book.

"No thanks, this is not hard. It's just annoying and boring, but could you do me a tiny favor?" He put his hands in his jeans pockets and bounced and back and forth on his feet.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could I please borrow you phone? I need to text somebody." Both looked through the glass wall and saw Mac working on some evidence.

"Ok, here you go, but only because it's you. Don't tell Mac." He gave her his phone and she dug Brian's phone number out of the depths of her bag.

"Of course I won't tell Mac. I don't want to get you fired." She smiled and quickly typed 'Mac's got my phone, I'm still alive. Don't text back. Sandra'.

"You're awesome, Danny!" He put his phone back in his pocket and she turned her attention back to her history homework.

Three hours later Mac came to look after her. In the meantime her anger was fizzled out and she could understand the reasons for Mac's actions.

"Are you done with your homework?" She didn't know if she should show a guilty or a friendly expression, but in the end she'd decided on the friendly one.

"Hi Mac, I'm done." She showed him the booklet, where she used to write in her homework and the matching work she had done.

"Very good, I hope you know why I took your privileges." She nodded in resignation.

"I do understand and I don't like it, but I can only say that I feel really sorry for that", she said and put her stuff back in her bag.

"Alright then, let's go."

Back in Mac's apartment, Sandra put her bag back in her room and then joined Mac in the kitchen, where he prepared some dinner for them.

"Just to clear all misunderstandings, I want you to concentrate on school", he said and put some food on a plate.

"No, no, everything's alright. I understand." He also put some food on another plate and joined her at the dinner table.

"Did you have something proper to eat for lunch?" he asked. She nodded with her mouth full.

"I had something from the school cafeteria. It was, what you consider, a proper meal." After dinner she went back on her room to watch a DVD. Precautionary with her ear phones in and all time prepared to pretend that she was working for school.

**Well, and here I am with no ideas left what else to write. I'd appreciate every help I can get. =)**


	10. Chapter 10 Greece and Adam

**This chapter is a little thank you to smuffy for all the lovely reviews.**

Chapter 10

The next day Sandra woke up, because somebody knocked on her door. For a few seconds she was wondering why didn't wake up from her alarm, but then she realized that Mac had her phone. She got up and prepared for school. In the kitchen she joined him for breakfast.

"Good morning, Mac. About my phone, could I take it to school, just in case?" He looked up from his coffee mug.

"No, you can't." Something in his voice stopped her from starting an argument. She just sat down and silently ate her toast. A few minutes later, just in time for her bus, she got up and left the apartment.

In school especially her Math and History teachers were quite surprised about her having done the homework.

"So tell me, what exactly did Mac say to you?" Brian asked her after Math class. Thomas had left for the toilette after he'd smiled at Brian mischievously.

"He was quite mad with me and he took my phone and my TV and internet privileges. The next time, he said, he will ground me." He opened the door to the school yard for her and they went to their favorite spot at the wall.

"You don't look like you're obeying Mac's punishment", he said referring to her mischievous smile.

"Is it that obvious?" she said laughing even louder, "I brought some DVDs from Germany and watched on last night."

"You know that you're pushing the line very far? I wouldn't dare it."

"I love pushing the line, but I think I know when it's really too much."

"I hope you do, because I'm pretty sure Mac's able to hide a murder." She busted out laughing and Brian couldn't resist busting out laughing, too.

After school in the lab she headed straight to Mac's office. When she knocked, he was talking on the phone with someone and she signaled him that she was willing to wait.

"Well, hi Sandra, how do you do?" he said when he was finally finished with his phone call.

"I'm fine. Mac, I already told Peyton yesterday that my friends in Germany wanted to sign me up for the school trips next year and they said they'll text me when it's fixed. What I want to ask you is, could I have my phone for a second to check my texts?" Before Mac could answer, Stella entered the office.

"Hey Mac, Adam analyzed the strange powder on the victim's shirt", she said and handed him a tablet. Suddenly she noticed Sandra who was slightly surprised about Stella's sudden appearance.

"Oh, hello Sandra. How was school?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing out of the ordinary apart from a really tough Physics homework. Mac, my phone?" Mac detached his eyes from the tablet and he reached into the drawer of his desk.

"Here you go. Only check on your texts." She smiled and turned on her phone. He and Stella were talking about something she couldn't understand. On the display she could see that her friends had finally sent her a message. It said πηγαίνετε στην Ελλάδα.

"Pigainete stin Ellada?" she whispered. Stella instantly stopped her conversation with Mac and turned to Sandra.

"You're going to Greece?" Sandra switched off her phone and gave it back to Mac.

"Does it say that?" Stella nodded. "Awesome!" She said good bye to Mac and Stella and went to the break room to do her homework. A few minutes later she was stuck in her Physics work.

"Blimey, this can't be that complicated!"

"Havin trouble with that?" She looked up and saw a young man with a three day beard and brown hair.

"You can definitely say that again." She looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm Adam, nice to meet you. Mac had already told us about you."

"Hey Adam, could you take a look at this? It's about relative concurrency." He took a look at her work sheet and furrowed his brows.

"That's really hard and you learn that in school?" She nodded and leaned back to let him read the problem.

"Alright, I think I got this. You just need delta t equals delta t R times the root of one minus v squared divided by c squared. Then you need to calculate delta t R and then you can solve the problem easily." The speed of his talk almost made her dizzy. She blinked a few times to process all the information.

"Wow, and you know all this stuff?" she asked and quickly wrote down the formula.

"No, I don't think I know everything, but quite a lot. Do you need any more help?"

"No, thanks. Even a ten-year-old could do my Math homework. What do you have to do now?"

"You're very curious, you know that?" She gave him a wide and knowing smile.

"I know that. And you are not the first one who noticed that."

"Ok, little one…"

"Little one? Are you kidding me? I bet I'm taller than you." She stood up and stretched her neck. Her head was at the same level with Adam's.

"Well, I guess, I'm not taller than you, but at least the same height. And what do you have to do? I got no answer."

"Ok, girl as tall as me, I have to analyze some evidence on a case. DNA, but I can't tell you what case."

"I already know that you guys can't tell me any details about your work." She sat back on her chair and entered the formula in her calculator.

"Adam, you're a genius, do you know that?"

"'Course I know. Why?"

"The formula you gave me; it's awesome. You just saved me two hours of work."

"Did I?" She nodded.

"Now, do you have any homework left?"

"Of course, I have. Math and History, as usual." She put her Physics homework back in her school bag and instead got out her other work.

"I'll leave you alone then. See ya later." From her came a quiet "hm" and she smiled at him. Her Math homework was even easier than she had imagined. Therefore, she was finished within just a few minutes. The rest of the time she kept reading her Harry Potter book. It was easier to understand it now, because she could understand more and more words.

"Hey Sandra, are you done with your homework?" Mac asked about three hours later. His words brought her back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah, I've done everything. Wanna see it?" He nodded and reached out his hand. With an amused look he shuffled through her Physics exercise book, she gave him.

"Where did you get this formula from? I'm pretty sure it's not on your formula sheet." She smiled guiltily.

"Adam gave it to me." Mac nodded slowly and closed her book again.

"What about your other homework. Have you done this as well?"

"Sure, I have. Here you go." She put her Physics work back in her bag and gave him the rest of the homework.

"Well done. Why don't you do it in the first place?" He gave her back her book and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you done with your work?" she asked and closed her schoolbag. He nodded and she got up.

"Well then, let's go home and have something for dinner." They made their way down to the parking lot and drove back to Mac's apartment.

**I finally got some ideas, but it's still not enough. Please review anything you'd like to read. It would be awesome. =D**


End file.
